Piping and method of making and applying same



Nov. 12, 1935. c. SEAMAN 2,020,473

PIPING AND METHOD OF MAKING AND APPLYING SAME File D c- 32 2 Sheets-Sheet l YZMM 'NVENTOR ATTORNEY Nov. 12, 1935. c. SEAMAN 2,020,473

PIPING AND METHOD OF MAKING AND APPLYING SAME Filed Dec. 25, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 12, 1935 PATENT OFFICE PIPING AND METHOD OF MAKING AND APPLYING SAME Charles Seaman, Jamaica Estates, N. Y.

Application December 23, 1932, Serial No. 648,601 7 Claims. (01. 112-262) This invention relates to blind stitched piping, commonly known as French piping, and the method of making and applying the same'to the edge of a piece of fabric.

The invention particularly relates to a method of making and applying French piping to comparat-ively heavy material, such as material suitable for making suits or coats, and provides a piping having a single ply on one side and having on the other side the minimum number of plies required to conceal the stitch and to prevent the neeedle from piercing the outer surface.

This invention is an improvement on the in- I vention disclosed in Patent No. 1,742,830, granted' January 7, 1930, to Charles Seaman and Gerhard Braf.

An object of the invention is to provide pipin of the above type.

Another object is to provide a method for folding the piping into the desired number of plies and feeding the same to the needle in such a manner thatthe piping is blind stitched on one side.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating an apparatus for forming and applying the piping, and in the various figures of which like parts have been designated by like reference numerals.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a sewing machine attachment employed for forming and applying the piping;

Figure 2 is a detail view of the attachment with parts broken away to show the supporting framework;

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an end elevation of a portion of the sewing machine showing the attachment applied thereto;

Figure 6 is a detail view of the piping and fabric showing the path of the needle;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the binding guide and folder in which the piping is formed before being applied to the fabric;

Figures 8 to 10 are sections taken on the lines 8-8, 9-9 and |fll0, respectively, of Figure 7;

Figures 11 and 12 are enlarged sections taken on the lines ll-ll and l2l2, respectively, of Figure '7;

Figure 13 is a perspective view of the piping, with the machine omitted for clearness, showing the path of travel and the manner of application 5 of the piping to the fabric;

Figure 1i is a section taken on the line l4l4 of Figure 13;

Figure 15 is a section taken on the line l5l5 of Figure 13; and 10 Figures 16 and 17 are sectional views similar to Figure 15 but showing modified forms of piping.

In the following description and in the claims, specific names have been used for convenience to identify certain parts, but they are intended to 5 be interpreted asbroadly as the state of the art will permit.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, the attachment is shown as comprising a cover plate 20 which is adapted to be secured to the base 2| 20 (Figures 1, 2 and 5) of a standard sewing machine in any convenient manner, as by screws 22. The cover plate 20 is provided with slots 23 through which a toothed feed member 24 is adapted to operate. The sewing machine also 25 includes a reciprocating rod 25, carrying a needle 26, and a presser foot rod 21. The feed member 24, the rod 25 and the rod 21 are of standard construction and may be operated by any suitable means (not shown). 30

The cover plate 28 carries a supporting plate 28 which may be secured thereto by screws 29. The supporting plate 28 carries-a block 30 having a recess 36' in which a lever 3| is pivotally being provided to permit the pivotal movement hereafter described. The lever 3| carries, at its free end, a spring 33 which extends transversely of the lever and resiliently supports a presser foot 35 in a position closely adjacent the path of the 40 needle 26. The presser foot 35 is provided with an abutment 34 adapted to position the folder, to be described, and a keeper 36 adapted to guide the binding past the presser foot. The keeper may be formed integrally with the presser foot 45 35, or may comprise a separate member which is rigidly secured thereto, as desired.

A lifting ear 38 may also be secured to the presser foot 35, as by screws 39 which extend through the lifting ear, the spring 33 and the presser 5 foot 35. The lifting ear is adapted to engage a suitable projection, such as a screw 40, carried on the presser foot rod 21, to permit the presser foot 35 to be elevated by movement of the rod 21. It is tobe understood that the usual presser 55 48. The eccentric 48 is adapted to cause pivotal movement of the lever II about the screw 32 for thereby adjusting the presser foot 35 with respect to the needle path, and may be locked in position by a set screw 48 carried in the block 38.

A bracket 50,which is formed as a part of a.

' slide 5| and extends transversely thereof, carries a flat spring 52 which is pivoted thereto, as by a screw 53 (Figure 2). The slide 5! is adapted to slide longitudinally in the block 30 and may be secured therein. by a hand screw 54. The flat spring 52 carries a binding guide and folder 60, the discharge end or throat 60a of which is held against the abutment 34 of the presser foot 35 by means of a spring 6| which engages the flat spring 52 and the bracket 50. The slide 5| also carries a block 62 (Figure l) in which a tensioning gate 83 is adjustably mounted and secured by a set screw 64. The tensioning gate 63 preferably comprises a wire bent upon itself into a plurality of transverse folds over which the binding -(omitted for the sake of clarity) is adapted to be threaded, and is positioned adjacent the entrance side of the folder 60 for guiding the binding thereto.

The folder 60 is formed of sheet material, variously bent in successive sections (Figures 7-12) to form a base 10 and side flanges H- and 12. The side flange II extends from the entrance end of the folder (Figure 8), where it is bent upwardly into general L-shape to the throat or discharge end of the folder. As it approaches the throat of the folder, it is bent in an increasing roll. The side flange 12 extends from a point spaced from the entrance end of the folder to the throat thereof. The flanges H and 12 are first (in the direction of movement of the binding) joined to form an L-shaped chamber 13 (Figure 9). They are then secured to an insert I4 (Figures 10-12), which extends laterally beneath the flange II to form 2. rolled section. Toward the throat, the center of the base I0 is bent upwardly to form a U-shaped section (Figures 11 and 12).

At the throat of the binder, the base 10 and flanges H and 12 are extended past the insert 14 to provide channels for discharging the binding. The central portion of the base at the throat of the folder is formed with a U-shaped recess 15, through which the binding is adapted to pass in the manner to be described. It is to be understood that the flanges H and 12 may be secured by suitable means, such as solder, and that a shield 16 may be positioned over a portion of the folder if desired.

As the binding, represented at 11 in Figures 8-12, advances through the folder 60, one side 18 of the binding is first folded upwardly (Figure 8), then inwardly (Figure 9), and is thereafter rolled inwardly (Figures 10-12) to form an inner ply or filler I9 and a second ply adjacent thereto. The other side 8| of the binding 11 remains flat, whereas the central portion thereof is folded upwardly into the form of an inverted U (Figure 12) having the single ply 8| on one side and at the other side carrying the pair of infolded plies l9 and 80 and having a central convex surface 82.

As the binding discharges from the throat of the folder 60, it passes downwardly through the U-shaped recess I5 wherein the binding is inverted, the convex surface 82 becoming concave and causing the single ply 8| to lie opposite a triplefold comprising the inner ply or filler 19. the second ply 80 and an outer ply 83 (Figures 5 13 and 14).

At this point, the binding is adapted to receive an edge 84 of a fabric 85, which may be inserted between the two sides of the binding so that the single ply 8| lies on one side of the fabric 10 and the triple ply lies on the other side thereof. The fabric may be fed to the machine over a guide plate 86,. which may be secured to the folder 60 in any convenient manner. A bracket 81 having an upwardly bent flange 88 may be 15 secured'to the guide plate 86 by a screw 89. The upwardly bent flange 88 cooperates, with the guide plate 86 to form a V-shaped groove, which is adapted to guide the edge of the fabric 85 and to engage any loose threads on said edge and to 20 cause them to lie parallel to the direction of movement of the fabric, whereby they are concealed by the binding.

The binding, after being discharged from the throat of the folder 60 and inverted, and after 25 receiving the edge 84 of the fabric 85, is passed under the presser foot 35 and extends in the direction of feed of the material.

The two sides of the binding converge as the binding passes from the throat of the folder 60 to- 80 ward the presser foot 35. The needle 26 engages the binding as it bends around the presser foot 35, which holds the binding in such a position that the needle passes through the second ply 80 and the inner ply I9, entering and emerging from 35 the same side of the second ply 80. Thence, it passes through the fabric 85 and through the single ply 8| (Figure 6) to form a stitch (Figure 15). Inasmuch as the needle does not extend through the outer ply 83, the stitch 90 is concealed 40 by the outer ply to form a blind stitched piping.

The presser foot 35 may be adjusted toward or away from the needle path so as to cause the needle to pass through only the desired portion of the infolded plies of the binding. The position of 45 the presser foot obviously will depend upon the thickness of the binding material and upon the number of infolded plies. In the form above illustrated, in which one side of the binding comprises three plies, the needle is adapted'to extend 50 through the two inner plies to produce a stitch which is'concealedby the outer ply. The two inner plies l9 and 80 provide sufficient body to prevent the needle from piercing the outer ply. Obviously, if the material itself is of sufficient 56 thickness, the binding may be formed with only two plies, as illustrated in Figure 16, in which case the needle extends only through the inner ply.

The number of plies is dependent upon the relation of the width of the binding to the width of 60 the folder. In general, a binding of greater width may be caused to fold into a greater number of plies on one side while retaining the single ply Bl on the other side.

It is also obvious that the inner ply may be 65 formed as a separate filler, as illustrated in Figure 17, in which case the binding, which is applied to the folder, is narrower than the binding illustrated above and is folded over to cover the separate filler or insert 9|, which may also be applied to the folder in any convenient manner.

The above-described binding is particularly adapted for comparatively heavy material, such as suits or overcoats, and is formed of a minimum 75 number of plies in order to reduce the over-all thickness of the material. A single ply is applied to the reverse side of the goods. On the front side two or more plies are employed, depending upon the thickness of the binding, with a minimum of two plies being required to conceal the stitch and produce a blind stitched piping, and three or more plies being employed when necessary to provide sufiicient body to the binding to prevent the needle from piercing the outer ply.

It is to be understood that certain embodiments of the invention have been disclosed for purposes of illustration only and that the invention is not to be limited thereto, but only in accordance with the following claims when interpreted in view of the prior art.

I claim:

1. A blind stitched piping comprising a binding folded into substantially U-shaped form, one side having a single ply, the other side being rolled to form three plies, and a single row of stitches extending through the two inner plies only of said second side and through the single ply of said first side and visible from said first side only.

2. A blind stitched piping comprising a binding folded into substantially U-shaped form, one side.

having a single ply, the other side being rolled to form three plies, a fabric having an edge located between said sides, and a single row of stitches extending through the two inner plies only of said second side, through said fabric, and through the single ply of said first side and visible from said first side only.

3. The method of forming a blind stitched piping which comprises folding a binding into a U- shaped form having two opposite sides, one of the sides having three plies, the other side having a single ply and then stitching a single row of stitches through the inner plies only of said first side and through the single ply of said other side.

4. The method of forming a blind stitched piping which comprises folding one edge of a binding to form a roll having two inner plies, folding the other edge to form a single ply opposite said roll, feeding the edge of a piece of fabric between said roll and said single ply whereby the edge of the fabric is concealed by said binding and, with said roll spaced from said fabric, stitching through the two inner plies, through the fabric and through the single ply, the needle entering and leaving the under surface of the ply of the roll adjacent the fabric, thence piercing the fabric and the single ply.

5. The method of forming a blind stitched piping which comprises folding one edge of a binding to form a roll having a plurality of plies, folding the other edge to form a single ply opposite said roll, feeding the edge of a piece of fabric between said roll and said single ply whereby the edge of the fabric is concealed by said binding and positioning the binding so that a needle reciprocating in vertical direction enters the under surface of the ply of the roll adjacent the fabric, passes through the inner ply or plies, and emerges from the said under surface of the ply of the roll adjacent the fabric, and thereafter passes through the fabric and the single ply, and so stitching the binding and fabric.

6. A blind stitched piping comprising a binding having one edge folded to form a roll having a plurality of plies and the other edge folded to form a single ply opposite said roll, a fabric having an edge between said roll and said single ply and concealed thereby and a single row of stitches securing said piping, said stitches entering from the under surface of the ply of the roll adjacent the fabric passing only through the one or more inner plies of said roll, emerging from the said under surface of the ply of the roll adjacent the fabric and then passing through said fabric and through said single ply and being visible only from the side of the piping comprising said single ply.

7. A blind stitched piping comprising a binding having one edge folded to form a roll having three plies, the other edge folded to form a single ply opposite said roll, a fabric having an edge between said roll and said single ply and a single row of stitches securing said piping, said stitches enterr ing the under surface of the ply of the roll in contact with said fabric, passing through the said ply and inner plies of the roll only, emerging from said under surface of the ply of the roll in contact with said fabric and then passing through said fabric and single ply.

CHARLES SEAMAN. 

